Chapter 34

It was unknown how long it had been before Gu Fei finally woke up. He hurriedly touched his forehead, relieved to find that he seemed to have suffered no injuries. However, the golden light formed by the ancient golden script did make his heart race.

At this moment, Gu Fei suddenly felt that something had been added to his mind. Then, a set of incantations surfaced in his thoughts. The ancient characters that had surged out from the jade slip now emerged from the depths of his memory, as if they had always been there.

"This..." Gu Fei couldn't help but be surprised. The method of directly imprinting the incantations into one's memory was truly inconceivable, almost like a divine power to alter someone's memory!

Only some great cultivators would use this method to directly imprint the cultivation techniques into the minds of their direct disciples, embedding them in their hearts to directly pass on their lineage.

"This jade slip..." Gu Fei sat up again, picked up the jade slip that had fallen to the ground, and his brows furrowed. He didn't need to recognize these ancient characters; he naturally knew the content of the incantation, "Transforming Weapons and Refining the Body?"

Gu Fei realized that this incantation was a cultivation technique for integrating weapons into the body, a rare skill derived from martial arts.

"Why did the sect leader impart this incantation to me? Where did this incantation come from?" Among the myriad of Daoist techniques in the Tai Xuan Sect, there seemed to be no such cultivation technique, which left Gu Fei puzzled.

It seemed that this "Transforming Weapons and Refining the Body" technique had nothing to do with Daoist magic and was more like a skill specifically prepared for martial cultivators. After all, the cultivation of Daoists focused on essence, qi, and spirit, neglecting the physical body. This directly led to the Daoists' physical bodies not being strong enough.

A weak physical body could not integrate divine weapons into the flesh and blood. If the divine weapon integrated into the body was out of control and condensed inside the body, the Daoist would not only fail to enhance their combat power but would also suffer severe injuries.

"But I don't have any weapons. Even if I have this 'Transforming Weapons and Refining the Body' technique, it seems to be of no use for now." Thinking of this, Gu Fei couldn't help but lose interest.

In his possession, there were only three items that could be considered treasures. Among these three items, only two were offensive. One of these two offensive treasures, however, was something he could neither use nor control.

Daoist talismans, the black water mystic snake's inner core, and a purple rod—these were all Gu Fei's current possessions. Of course, the Cui Ling Peak lineage, once a powerful branch among the nine lineages of the Tai Xuan Sect, had a glorious history and produced many experts over the generations. These experts left behind numerous magical treasures.

However, after practicing the ancient cultivation techniques, these magical treasures left by the Daoists were stored in the treasure chamber of the cave and were no longer used.

Daoist magical treasures required the use of magical power to operate, but the ancient cultivation technique was a method of physical refinement, cultivating primordial essence and qi, not magical power. Therefore, Gu Fei lacked the ability to activate the Daoist magical treasures.

So, the only thing useful to Gu Fei now was the black water mystic snake's inner core, which he obtained by slaying the black water mystic snake at the bottom of the Cold Water Lake. As for the Daoist talisman he had taken from Wang Yuanzhi, Nan Gong Chu could not use it, as he could not activate the power contained within the talisman.

As for the rod passed down by his sect, its material was neither metal nor stone, and its purpose was unknown.

"Could it be..." Gu Fei took the rod out of his pocket and examined it closely. Apart from some ancient patterns carved on it, the rod was very ordinary and unremarkable.

Gu Fei didn't make any new discoveries on the rod, but he decided to give it a try. He followed the "Transforming Weapons and Refining the Body" technique, circulating the essence and qi within his body. Threads of essence and qi immediately seeped out from his hands, wrapping around the rod like colorful silk threads.

Then, Gu Fei witnessed a shocking scene. The rod, which had been dull and lifeless, began to change. Slowly, a faint purple glow emerged from the rod, as if it had transformed into a piece of crystal-clear purple jade.

Finally, the rod turned into a brilliant purple light and merged into Gu Fei's body. When the purple light first appeared, a cold aura immediately filled the entire cave, as if a divine weapon had been suddenly drawn from its sheath.

"Is this sword qi?" Gu Fei was greatly surprised. He never expected that the "Transforming Weapons and Refining the Body" technique could really integrate the rod into his body. The rod seemed to be the hilt of a divine weapon.

However, what puzzled Gu Fei was that both ends of the rod were smooth, with no signs of being broken. If it was a hilt, where was the blade?

Upon internal inspection, Gu Fei found that the purple sword qi that had merged into his body was moving through his flesh and blood, able to gather and disperse, but it had not completely merged into his flesh and blood.

He tried to control the sword qi moving through his body, and indeed, the sword qi followed his will, surging towards his right hand. Then, a purple sword glow emerged from the palm of his right hand, and a powerful sword qi condensed in his hand. Subsequently, an ancient, long sword with an aura of infinite antiquity appeared in his hand.

Gu Fei felt that the hilt he was holding was a tangible object, the rod, while the blade was not a physical entity but was formed by the sword qi, almost like a true divine weapon.

Gu Fei was overwhelmed with shock. Why did the sect leader have this "Transforming Weapons and Refining the Body" technique? Moreover, he knew that the short rod passed down by his sect could be activated by this technique, which was not a coincidence.

Everything seemed to be shrouded in mystery, but at this moment, he could not unravel these secrets.

Strength, only by possessing strength that could look down upon the world, could all the mysteries be solved.

"Swish!"

Gu Fei swung the long sword in his hand, and a brilliant sword glow immediately slashed forward, seemingly cutting through the void. When the sword glow dissipated, a sword mark silently appeared on the ground.

Although he had never practiced sword techniques, the ability to emit such a powerful sword qi with just a light swing filled Gu Fei with great joy. With this secret weapon, he could gain an advantage in tomorrow's competition.

Moreover, if he could condense the rod integrated into his body into a sword in his hand, it would be like holding a divine sword, making him immune to the slashes of divine weapons and able to injure enemies without being seen.

With a slight thought, "Swish!" the short rod was absorbed into his right palm, and the sword qi disappeared, completely merging into his flesh and blood.

This short rod indeed had a significant background. Only by using the "Transforming Weapons and Refining the Body" technique to integrate it into his body could its power be unleashed. This unremarkable short rod would undergo a surprising transformation.

Anything discovered alongside the ancient cultivation technique of physical refinement would not be ordinary. However, for hundreds of years, no one seemed to have integrated this hilt into their body and unleashed the rod's power. Could it be because they lacked the "Transforming Weapons and Refining the Body" technique?

Gu Fei didn't know, and even his deceased master, Wan Xiancheng, might not have known. Perhaps only the Tai Xuan Sect's leader, Xuan Tian Dao Ren, who imparted the technique to Gu Fei, knew the secret of this technique.

The more Gu Fei thought about it, the more he believed that this "Transforming Weapons and Refining the Body" technique was likely a secret between the Cui Ling Peak lineage and Xuan Tian Dao Ren.

In the cave, Gu Fei sat cross-legged again, practicing the "Transforming Weapons and Refining the Body" technique, using the five-element essence and qi within his body to nourish the purple sword qi formed by the hilt.

Fine rays of light emerged from Gu Fei's body, and waves of subtle primordial qi spread out from him, mixed with a powerful and sharp sword qi.

He needed to harmonize his body with the sword qi, and after refining, he could unleash the sword qi's maximum power. The "Transforming Weapons and Refining the Body" technique was now Gu Fei's trump card.

Time passed unnoticed, and the primordial qi fluctuations in the cave remained, but the sword qi gradually became pure, losing its sharpness and becoming more subtle.

"Clang..."

Suddenly, while in deep meditation, Gu Fei heard a resonant bell sound. Normally, even if a mountain collapsed in front of someone in deep cultivation, it would not disturb them. However, this bell sound seemed to penetrate the void, directly affecting Gu Fei's heart, waking him from his meditation.

The bell sound resonated through the heavens and earth, lingering for a long time. Just as the sound was about to fade, another bell sound followed.

Gu Fei immediately stopped his cultivation, stood up from the ground, and his eyes flashed with determination as he muttered, "It's finally starting."

The cave door slowly opened, and a ray of sunlight shone in. Gu Fei, dressed in white, stepped out confidently, his hands empty, but he was full of confidence because his weapon was not in his hands but within his body.

The "Transforming Weapons and Refining the Body" technique was incredibly mysterious, and no one could sense the changes within Gu Fei's body. The short rod integrated into his flesh and blood lay dormant within him, ready to manifest as a divine weapon at his command.

"The sun has risen!" Gu Fei looked eastward, seeing a bright red sun hanging over the mountains, radiating endless light, illuminating the world.

The resonant bell sound still echoed through the heavens and earth. On Tai Xuan Mountain, disciples from the nine peaks and nine lineages gradually emerged from their cultivation places and headed towards the central Tai Xuan Peak, surrounded by the other eight peaks.

Gu Fei did not dare to delay, as the nine-lineage competition was to take place today. He hurriedly descended the mountain, picking some fresh fruits from the trees along the way to satisfy his hunger.

Tai Xuan Mountain was a place of outstanding people and abundant natural resources, with countless wild fruits scattered throughout the mountains. Cultivators were very casual about their diet, drinking mountain springs and eating wild fruits when hungry. This was the life of cultivators, at least for those in the Tai Xuan Sect.

When Gu Fei arrived at the square in front of the Tai Xuan Hall, the disciples from the nine lineages had almost all gathered. Under the guidance of their seniors, the disciples stood in an orderly manner on the square.

At this moment, the resonant bell sound had rung nine times!